The Commission seeks to ensure that the human rights of all people held in immigration detention in Australia are protected. The Commission has focused its recent immigration detention work on the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers, refugees and children, because they have specific vulnerabilities and are given special protections under international law.
Today I want to talk to you first generally about Australia’s human rights obligations, and the role of the Commission. I will then move to discuss three key human rights obligations which are relevant to decisions which some officers within the Department make every day.
The reports below published by the Commission outline issues of concern arising from its visits to immigration detention facilities.
- Dept. of Home Affairs response to Adelaide Immigration Detention Centre
The Commission can inquire into complaints of breaches of human rights under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) (AHRC Act).
When the Commission receives a complaint of an alleged breach of human rights the Commission will attempt to resolve the complaint through conciliation.
View the Commission's concerns about the treatment of refugees, including those who have received adverse security assessments from ASIO.
View statistics related to immigration detention in Australia, including how many people arrive, the length of their detention and where they are held.
